


Rendezvous by the Lake

by unknowableroom_archivist



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-12-20
Updated: 2006-03-12
Packaged: 2019-01-19 11:07:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12409173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unknowableroom_archivist/pseuds/unknowableroom_archivist
Summary: Sitting in front of the Hogwarts lake was an eleven-year-old redhead. James was immediately intrigued by her. Six years later, he was just as intrigued, if not more. The two of them spent quite some time by that lake. They fought, they laughed, they fell in love. This story takes you through their seven years of rendezvous by the lake.





	1. Year One

**Author's Note:**

> Note from ChristyCorr, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [Unknowable Room](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Unknowable_Room), a Harry Potter archive active from 2005-2016. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project after May 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [Unknowable Room collection profile](http://www.archiveofourown.org/collections/unknowableroom).

** Rendezvous by the Lake **

** **

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. These characters belong to JK Rowling. The plot, however, belongs to me...well, most of it.

** **

**Summary:** Lily and James had many rendezvous by the lake over their years at Hogwarts. Some were more pleasant than others.

 

**Year One**

 

It was first year and James was troublesome.

 

It was the second week of school and he had decided to abandon his friends for a little while and explore the grounds a bit.

 

He had not strayed far from the castle when he noticed a girl sitting under a beech tree by the lake. He had noticed her once or twice before around school. She was a first year Gryffindor along with him. That was the extent of his knowledge of her, he was afraid. He did not even know her name.

 

He took a moment to examine her from afar. She was very pretty. Even _he_ had to admit that. She had thick auburn hair that reached her shoulders. Her skin would normally be considered pale, but it suited her. It would have looked awkward had it been just a shade darker. She looked short and petite, but it was hard to tell considering she was sitting down.

 

He studied her for a minute or two trying to figure out if she was worth talking to.

 

James was a good judge of character and he prided himself on the fact that he could tell a person’s personality before even meeting said person. He could tell she was studious and a bit bookish just by the fact that she was reading a book. Judging by her red hair, she would probably have a ghastly temper.

 

Keeping all of these things in mind, he approached her cautiously.

 

“Hullo,”� he greeted, stepping out in front of her.

 

She looked up from her book slowly.

 

“May I help you?”� she asked simply.

 

James was about to respond when he noticed her eyes. They were they most striking shade of green he had ever seen before. They reminded him of emeralds, newly polished and shined.

 

Finally, he remembered his purpose for being there.

 

“Yes,”� he replied, hoping he did not sound as stupid as he felt. “I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m James Potter.”�

 

He held out a hand for her to shake. She grasped it gently. He had been right in assuming she was petite. His hands were twice the size of hers.

 

“I’m Lily Evans,”� she said.

 

Releasing his hand and raising it to shield her eyes from the sun, Lily studied James briefly before giving a short huff of indignation.

 

“I know who you are,”� she said in an angry tone. “You set my owl on fire just last week.”�

 

James gaped.

 

“That was _your_ owl?”�

 

“Yes, that was _my_ owl,”� she cried. “Would it have really made a difference whose owl it was? That fact of the matter is, you set it on _fire_!”�

 

He had been right about her temper.

 

“I’m terribly sorry about that,”� he bumbled. “It wasn’t my idea. Sirius-“

 

“I don’t want to hear any excuses,”� she interrupted. “I don’t care whose idea it was. However, I wouldn’t mind an apology.”�

 

He sighed.

 

“I’m really sorry about your owl, Lily,”� he said, hoping he sounded sincere. “I hope you can find it in yourself to forgive me.”�

 

“I suppose,”� she sighed after an elongated pause.

 

He flashed her a smile.

 

“Thanks,”� he said. “No hard feelings then?”�

 

She shook her head.

 

“Good.”� He nodded in approval. “So how is your owl doing?”�

 

She glared daggers at him. If looks could kill, he would have died immediately after posing his last question.

 

“It _died_ ,”� she spat. “It died from the burns your little fire caused.”�

 

He felt his jaw drop yet again.

 

“Lily,”� he whispered, crouching down next to her. “I’m sorry. I am really sorry.”�

 

She merely turned her head away from him.

 

“I thought you said no hard feelings,”� James joked, trying to catch her attention once again.

 

“I lied,”� she said through clenched teeth.

 

James was taken aback.

 

“This is all some kind of sick joke to you, isn’t it Potter?”� she accused, turning her head back in his direction and piercing him with her gaze once again.

 

“N-no,”� he faltered. He wished she would close her eyes so he would not be able to see the fire within them.

 

“Yes it is,”� she continued. “I’ve heard about you. You and your friends pride yourselves on your little pranks. I’m just another statistic in your book. I’m just one more person you’ve pranked. What are you doing here? Do you always interrogate your victims to see how they are affected by your pranks? Would you like to know how I feel?”�

 

“Um, I’m pretty sure you’re mad,”� he whimpered.

 

“Of course I’m mad,”� she cried. “You killed by brand new owl by setting fire to it and then come and rub it in my face.”�

 

Lily paused to catch her breath. While she was calming, James took the opportunity to speak up.

 

“I did _not_ come to rub anything in your face,”� he began. “Nor did I set your owl on fire. That was entirely the doing of one Sirius Black. He is the one you should be yelling at. I just happen to be his best friend who was sitting next to him at the time. I had nothing to do with it. Honest.”�

 

That seemed to settle Lily down a bit.

 

“But everyone says that you and your friends are nothing but a troublesome group of pranksters,”� she told him.

 

James snorted.

 

It was only the second week of school and already his reputation preceded him. That had to be a record.

 

“That’s a lie,”� he said, crossing his fingers behind his back. “I’m sure Hogwarts is no different than any other school. People love to spread rumors, though I fail to see the excitement in it.”�

 

Lily nodded.

 

“I suppose you’re right,”� she agreed. “I had no right to assume you were a bad person, though you’ll be sure to tell your friend Sirius Black that he is on my blacklist. No pun intended.”�

 

James laughed. He had once again been right in guessing that he would like this girl. Lily Evans was certainly fun to talk to. He decided to see what else he could learn about her before his friends came in search of him.

 

“So,”� he began, wildly searching for a topic for conversation. He once again noticed the tome in her hand. “What are you reading?”�

 

She held it up for him to see. It was her Charms textbook. So he had been right in assuming she was studious. Damn, he was good at that.

 

“Charms,”� he read with a slight laugh. “I don’t like the subject very much myself. I think Transfiguration is more my style.”�

 

Lily wrinkled her nose.

 

“No,”� she said. “Charms seems very interesting. So far, it’s my favorite. I’ve been reading about it every chance I get. It will be challenging, but fun. Transfiguration looks like entirely too much work. It seems rather difficult and not at all interesting.”�

 

“History of Magic doesn’t seem like much fun either,”� James added.

 

“Actually,”� Lily stated matter-of-factly. “The actual history behind it is terribly interesting, but the way in which it is taught is what makes it so unpopular.”�

 

“Erm, no,”� James said, leaning up against the tree. “It’s definitely a waste of time. It’s not like we’ve never heard all those stories before.”�

 

“I haven’t,”� Lily said. “I’m Muggle-born.”�

 

“Oh!”� This surprised James. “So this is only your second week in the magical world?”�

 

“Basically.”�

 

“What do you think of it all?”� he asked, gesturing to the castle and everything around it.

 

“It’s like something from a story,”� Lily sighed. “I half expect to wake up one morning to find that it’s all been a dream and that none of this exists. But if that’s the case, I don’t want to wake up.”�

 

James gazed at her for a moment. She seemed lost in her thoughts.

 

Deciding to break the silence, James reached over and pinched Lily on the arm.

 

“Ouch!”� she cried. “James Potter, what was that for?”�

 

“Now you know you’re not dreaming,”� he said with a grin.

 

She couldn’t help but smile back.

 

“Thanks,”� she whispered.

 

“No problem,”� he said casually. “So what’s it like being a Muggle? I’ve always wondered how they manage to get on without magic.”�

 

“They adjust,”� Lily told him. “It’s not hard to survive without magic when you don’t even know it exists. They simply have to work harder in everything they do. They can’t just wave a wand and the dishes will be clean. They have to wash them by hand. They can’t just apparate or floo anywhere they want to go. They have to take the time to get there by foot or car or plane or something. It’s not easy, but they don’t know any different. That’s just their way of life.”�

 

James shook his head in disbelief.

 

“It amazes me,”� he said. “Just how little they notice. I’m surprised we’ve been able to keep our world a secret from them.”�

 

Lily nodded.

 

“I’m sure there have been accidents when Muggles have found out things they weren’t supposed to,”� she said. “But the ministry takes care of that don’t they?”�

 

“Yeah,”� James replied. “My dad works for the ministry. He has to go behind people and clean up their messes all the time. When a Muggle sees something they aren’t supposed to, he has to put a Memory Charm on them. It’s a lot of work.”�

 

“You seem very interested in Muggles,”� Lily observed.

 

“Muggles are very interesting creatures,”� James responded. “I’m going to take Muggle Studies in third year to learn about them.”�

 

“Muggle Studies?”� Lily frowned. “That’s actually a class?”�

 

James nodded.

 

“And you just sit around and learn about Muggles?”� she continued. “Like they’re some kind of animal?”�

 

“Yes,”� James responded coolly. “ But it’s not like we dissect them and dig in their brains or anything. In Muggle Studies, you learn about how they live and interact and stuff. It sounds interesting, but I guess since you’re Muggle-born it’s a lot less interesting to you. It’s just like how you want to learn about the magical world because you know so little about it. Well, I want to learn about the Muggle world because I know close to nothing about it.”�

 

“I guess I understand,”� Lily said slowly. “But I don’t think I would take that class.”�

 

“No,”� James said, studying Lily a bit. “I think you would like Care of Magical Creatures and Arithmancy.”�

 

“How could you possibly know that?”� Lily questioned.

 

“I can just tell by your personality.”� James shrugged. “You would like Care of Magical Creatures because you’re so interested in learning about our world and learning about the creatures in it and that class would be something to help you learn about it. You would like Arithmancy because you like to learn and Arithmancy is a difficult class. It would be a challenge even for you.”�

 

She watched him closely.

 

“How is it you can tell that much about me after only knowing me for a few minutes?”� she asked.

 

“It’s a gift,”� he said cockily. “Actually, before I met you I could tell that you were studious and had a frightful temper.”�

 

“How could you tell?”�

 

“Well, you were reading a book and you have red hair.”�

 

Lily glanced down at her book.

 

“And just from that, you knew what I was like?”� she asked.

 

He nodded.

 

“That’s interesting,”� she said. “You must watch people all the time.”�

 

“Not really,”� he said. “But watch.”�

 

He pointed to a girl who had just hurried out of the castle.

 

“She gets upset easily,”� James told Lily. “And she’s always punctual.”�

 

“How-”�

 

“See how she’s rushing around?”� he asked.

 

Lily nodded.

 

“She must have somewhere to go,”� he told her. “And now she’s looking around frantically. She’s getting upset over something.”�

 

The girl caught sight of Lily and James by the lake and hurried over.

 

“Excuse me,”� she said in a voice that hinted she was very near hysterics. “Have either of you seen a magazine out here?”�

 

“No,”� Lily and James answered simultaneously.

 

The girl all but burst into tears.

 

“I can’t seem to find my latest copy of _Witch Weekly_ and I’m scheduled to be a tutoring session in less than ten minutes,”� she sobbed. “I don’t know what I will do if I don’t find it before then.”�

 

“Er, do you need the magazine for your tutoring session?”� Lily asked out of curiosity.

 

“No,”� the girl replied. “But I need to find it because I haven’t read it yet and I don’t want to be late-”�

 

“Well good luck then,”� James interrupted. “I’m sure if you keep looking, you’ll find it somewhere.”�

 

The girl started crying and ran back to the castle.

 

“See?”� he asked, poking Lily in the arm.

 

“That was scary,”� she told him. “You’re really good at that.”�

 

“Yep.”� He leaned back against the tree and closed his eyes.

 

“You know what I find incredible?”� Lily asked.

 

“What?”�

 

“That the sunset always manages to look like that with or without magic,”� Lily said breathlessly.

 

James opened his eyes to see the sun setting behind the lake. Hundreds of different shades of reds and oranges and yellows blended together in a way that no artist could capture.

 

James looked at Lily who was staring listlessly out at the lake.

 

“So about your owl…”� James started.

 

He succeeded in accomplishing what he had been trying to do.

 

Lily stiffened next to him.

 

“Don’t start with that bloody owl again Potter,”� she said warningly.

 

“Okay,”� he surrendered. “Fine.”�

 

He noticed the few students who had been outside starting to head back to the castle. I was probably dinnertime.

 

“I think it’s time for supper,”� he said. “You want to walk back to the Great Hall?”�

 

She nodded and he helped her stand.

 

As they were passing by the lake, Lily looked down at the darkening water.

 

“Is there really a giant squid in there?”� she asked.

 

“Of course there is,”� James told her. “Why would anyone lie about a giant squid?”�

 

“I don’t know.”�

 

“Do you want to see it?”� he asked.

 

“Not really,”� she began, but before she had a chance to finish, James had shoved her so hard she fell into the water.

 

“Have fun with the squid, Evans,”� he called to her.

 

“Potter!”� she spluttered. “You said all those things people say are just rumors. I trusted you!”�

 

“Well, Evans,”� he said slowly. “It would appear that I lied to you. Welcome to Hogwarts.”�

 

Laughing to himself and ignoring her curses, he jogged back to the castle for supper.

 

He would have to tell Sirius about this one. It was one of the best pranks he had pulled so far. Poor unsuspecting Lily.

 

When he had reached the castle doors, he looked back to see her drying herself with a charm.

 

It had certainly been funny even if she didn’t think so.

 

He entered the Great Hall fully aware of the fact that he would have to face the wrath of Lily Evans later but also fully intent on buying her a new owl first thing in the morning.

 

And this time, he would not set it on fire.

 

\- - - -

 

**A/N:** This story will be a total of seven chapters long with one chapter for each year Lily and James are at Hogwarts. The complete story can be found on Fanfiction and Portkey. I can’t make any promises, but I hope I’ll be able to get a chapter up every week. Visit my live journal for updates and other stuff that I’m working on getting up there. The link is in my profile. Thanks for reading!


	2. Year Two

** Rendezvous by the Lake **

** **

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. These characters belong to JK Rowling. The plot, however, belongs to me...well, most of it.

** **

**Summary:** Lily and James had many rendezvous by the lake over their years at Hogwarts. Some were more pleasant than others.

** **

** Year Two **

** **

It was second year and Lily was naÃ¯ve.

 

She was sitting by the lake with her feet dangling in the water. She was thinking, just thinking.

 

She was taken aback when a pair of hands covered her eyes from behind.

 

“Guess who,”� a voice said in her ear.

 

“Potter!”� she yelped, springing to her feet and scurrying away from the lake as fast as she could.

 

“Now, now, Evans,”� James said with a shake of his head. “I’m not going to push you in the lake. I’ve done that before. It’s a used trick. Why would I go and do something like that again?”�

 

“Then what are you up to?”� Lily narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

 

“Whatever do you mean?”� James asked innocently.

 

“You’re _always_ up to something,”� she muttered.

 

“Not today,”� he replied.

 

He lay down in the grass and looked at the sky.

 

“So how have you been, Evans?”� he asked. “I haven’t had a chance to talk to you in, what, three weeks?”�

 

“I liked it that way,”� Lily muttered.

 

“Didn’t your mother ever tell you to speak up?”� James scolded. “It’s not very ladylike to mumble like that.”�

 

“Are you my mother?”� Lily spat.

 

“No, I’m pretty sure I’m not,”� he said, raising an eyebrow at her.

 

“Damn you, Potter.”�

 

“Aww, Lily,”� James pouted. “That wasn’t very nice. You hurt my feelings.”�

 

“Good.”�

 

“What did I tell you about that incoherent muttering?”� he berated.

 

Lily rolled her eyes.

 

“I saw that,”� James said sharply. “That’s not ladylike either.”�

 

“Screw being ladylike!”� she exclaimed.

 

He gasped in mock horror and covered his mouth.

 

“I’d have thought better of you, Lily,”� he said. “You should be ashamed of yourself.”�

 

“You sound like Sirius,”� she told him. “And stop calling me Lily. It makes it sound like we’re friends.”�

 

“Aren’t we?”� he asked.

 

“No, we are most certainly not!”�

 

“That hurts,”� he said, placing his hand over his heart.

 

Lily scoffed.

 

“So what do you really want, Potter?”� she asked.

 

“I’ve just come to bid a friendly greeting and to make sure you are getting along well,”� he said innocently.

 

She narrowed her eyes at him.

 

“You don’t believe me?”� he asked.

 

“I most certainly do not,”� she said firmly.

 

“What must I do to prove that I can really be a good person?”�

 

“You would have to go back in time and redo all of first and second years,”� Lily said.

 

James seemed to consider this for a moment.

 

“That can be arranged,”� he finally said. “I will need permission from the Ministry and bit of help from my friends I’m afraid, but it’s all worth it for you, luv.”�

 

“How dare you mock me,”� Lily seethed. “I should teach you to bother me…”�

 

He caught her wrist with his hand as she was reaching for her wand.

 

“Let me go, Potter,”� she insisted. “Let me go!”�

 

“No,”� he said firmly and caught her other hand as she made to slap him with it.

 

He chuckled.

 

“Not quite fast enough,”� he muttered.

 

Lily let out an exasperated sigh.

 

“Fine,”� she said. “What do you want?”�

 

“I just want to know why you dislike me so much,”� he said simply.

 

“I dislike you because you never leave me alone and you’re always coming up with new ways to make my life miserable,”� Lily told him.

 

“So if I just _left you alone,_ you wouldn’t hate me anymore?”� he asked.

 

“Yes.”�

 

He paused for a moment to contemplate his options.

 

“No, sorry,”� he said after a short pause. “Can’t do that.”�

 

“And why not?”�

 

“Because you fascinate me, my dear Evans,”� James said.

 

Lily gave a strangled cry of frustration.

 

“You see,”� James continued. “Ever since I first met you last year in this exact location, I’ll have you know, I’ve found you to be a most extraordinary person. You are extremely intelligent yet you can’t seem to be able to take a joke. Every time we pull a prank, you act like it’s the crime of the century. It’s terribly annoying yet amusing at the same time. I can’t quite figure out what makes you tick, but one day I’ll discover what goes on inside your head and you will rue the day you messed with James Potter.”�

 

Lily shook her head in amusement.

 

“You should hear yourself, Potter,”� she teased. “You sound like the villain in an old romance novel trying to defeat the brave and noble hero. Only, you’re a bit more presumptuous than most which puts you at a slight disadvantage.”�

 

“I don’t know what you are talking about,”� James said in a sarcastic tone. “ _I_ am the brave and noble hero and _you_ are the villain who must be defeated. The townspeople have nothing to fear. I will protect them by thwarting you and your dastardly plans.”�

 

Lily giggled.

 

“You’re so over the top, Potter,”� she laughed. “But it’s funny when you’re not trying to ruin my life with your pranks.”�

 

“Ruin your life?”� James cried, jumping to his feet. “Why I never! I would never dream of doing such a thing. You must be that poor, confused damsel in distress I was told to rescue. Oh, I’m so glad I found you before it’s too late. Who knows how much longer you would have been able to stand the torture of the lies the evil prince has been feeding you. But now I have found you and after I fight the evil prince, we will ride off into the sunset on my noble steed and live happily ever after. The end.”�

 

“But where, oh Prince Charming, is the evil prince, or your noble steed for that matter?”� Lily questioned in a sweet voice.

 

“Why does that matter?”� James retorted. “I will find the dark Prince erm…Prince Sirius some other time! Quick! Before it is too late! We must flee this place at once!”�

 

“And how do you propose we do that?”� Lily asked.

 

James silenced her and raised his hand as if reaching for something.

 

Several seconds later, a broom came hurtling towards them and landed neatly in James’s raised hand.

 

“How-?”� Lily began, but James cut her off.

 

“There is no time for questions, milady,”� he said as he mounted his broom.

 

Lily glanced warily at the hand he extended to her. She was not sure she should take it. It could be another one of his ruthless pranks.

 

But he did not wait for her. Losing his patience, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her onto the broom along with him.

 

Lily shut her eyes to avoid seeing the ground growing far away, the lake and trees shrinking as they rose steadily higher. She clung to James without even realizing it, but he did. He noticed the way her arms wrapped around him and how the higher they went, the tighter her hold on him got.

 

“My, my, Lily,”� he teased. “You aren’t afraid, are you?”�

 

“No,”� she said firmly, opening her eyes and loosening her grip around his middle. “Of course not. That would be stupid.”�

 

“And a bit childish, don’t you think?”� he continued to tease. “I mean, you can’t live in the Wizarding world and be afraid of heights. It’s almost unnatural. Everybody loves to fly.”�

 

“Yes,”� Lily said shakily. “I know, but I don’t quite trust you. Do you think we could land now?”�

 

“As you wish,”� James replied.

 

He brought the broom down so that their toes barely touched the ground, but then flew out over the lake.

 

“Potter,”� Lily said warningly. “I want to get down on dry land _this minute_.”�

 

“Or what?”� James asked. “What will you do if I refuse to move the broom?”�

 

“I’ll- I’ll-”� Lily stammered. “I’ll push you off the broom into the lake and then fly myself to safety.”�

 

“Will you?”� James asked mockingly. “I’d like to see you try.”�

 

Lily hesitated for a moment.

 

“Oh, all right then,”� she said finally.

 

She gave a feeble attempt to push him into the lake, but even with all her efforts, he barely even budged.

 

“Tsk, tsk, Evan,”� James said. “That was pathetic. Is that really the best you can do?”�

 

“No!”� Lily said firmly.

 

She tried once again to push him, but once again failed.

 

With a huff, she gave up.

 

“Are you quite finished yet?”� he asked.

 

Lily sighed in defeat.

 

“Yes.”�

 

James cheered for himself and took a victory lap around the grounds on his broom, taking Lily along with him.

 

“Potter!”� she shrieked. “This isn’t funny! Let me down!”�

 

“I thought you said you weren’t scared,”� James smirked.

 

“I am!”� Lily cried. “I am hopelessly afraid of heights. I can’t stand being on a broom. I just want to get down. Let me down!”�

 

She hit him on the arm but quickly put her hand back on the broom to steady herself.

 

“Ow!”� James winced, rubbing his arm where Lily had hit him. “You hit hard for a girl.”�

 

“I’ll take that as a compliment,”� Lily muttered, trying not to look down.

 

“Just don’t do it again,”� James laughed.

 

“I can’t make any promises,”� Lily said through clenched teeth.

 

James took the hint and brought the broom back to the ground.

 

Lily quickly hopped off before he could change his mind and take off again.

 

“So,”� he began. “What were you doing before I dropped in for my visit?”�

 

“Thinking,”� Lily said simply.

 

He nodded and watched silently as she put her shoes and socks back on.

 

A loud war cry made her jump slightly. She turned to see Sirius Black jump out from behind a tree.

 

“I have come to take back Princess Lily,”� he said. “I must return her to her rightful home with me!”�

 

He threw his head back and let out what he considered to be an evil laugh.

 

Lily giggled.

 

“You heard that conversation?”� she asked.

 

“Silence woman,”� Sirius cried. “You have no say in this.”�

 

James quickly jumped to his feet.

 

“Prince Sirius,”� he said loudly. “I will not allow you to take Princess Lily. She belongs with me now. If you want her, you will have to kill me first.”�

 

Sirius pulled out his wand.

 

“So be it,”� he muttered darkly.

 

James drew his wand and the two began to sword fight.

 

Lily laughed all throughout the scene. It was amazing how immature these two boys were. They acted like a couple of six year olds.

 

“Face it,”� Sirius cried. “You will never win!”�

 

“Good always triumphs over evil!”� James said.

 

With that, James thrust his sword at Sirius, hitting him in the chest. The latter stumbled backwards and fell to his knees.

 

“Curse you,”� he whispered hoarsely before letting his head fall back and his eyes close.

 

“He’s dead!”� Lily cried. “You did it!”�

 

She ran to James and hugged him. Then, realizing who it was she was hugging, she quickly let go.

 

James cleared his throat.

 

“You belong to me now,”� he said with a grin.

 

“I belong to no one,”� Lily huffed.

 

She turned away from him and folded her arms over her chest. He spun her back around to face him again.

 

“You belong to me,”� James repeated. “And I deserve a kiss as my reward.”�

 

Before Lily knew what was happening, James Potter was leaning in to kiss her. She did not know how to react. Luckily, she did not have to.

 

Leaping up from his position on the ground, Sirius Black started to run, catching Lily by the arm as he did so and dragging her along with him.

 

“Black!”� James cried. “You cheated! You‘re supposed to be dead!”�

 

“That’s why _I_ am the bad guy,”� Sirius called back. “And _you_ are the loser.”�

 

Lily simply laughed and allowed herself to be pulled along. James Potter came chasing after them. Lily simply stuck her tongue out at him.

 

The three twelve year olds spent the better part of an hour running around and just being themselves.

 

When Lily began to grow tired, she stopped and so did the other two boys.

 

“So where do you think Snape is?”� Sirius asked.

 

“I don’t know,”� James replied. “But I think he’s overdue for his daily visit.”�

 

“We should go find him,”� Sirius stated.

 

“We should,”� James agreed.

 

And with that, the two boys wandered off to cause trouble.

 

And just that quickly, Lily Evans was left alone and forgotten by the lake.

 

But she liked it that way.


	3. Year Three

** Rendezvous by the Lake **

****

**Disclaimer** : I don't own Harry Potter. These characters belong to JK Rowling. The plot, however, belongs to me...well, most of it.

****

**Summary:** Lily and James had many rendezvous by the lake over their years at Hogwarts. Some were more pleasant than others.

****

** Year Three **

****

It was third year, and James was curious.

He was perched in a tree by the lake wondering how long it would be before a certain redhead showed up.

He had overheard her tell her friends that she was planning to go study by the lake later. But that had been well over an hour ago and now he was beginning to worry that she had changed her mind.

It was cold and James considered going inside, but before he had the chance to move, he heard footsteps in the snow. Pulling his invisibility cloak tighter around him, he turned to see Lily Evans walking toward him.

“Stupid Potter and his stupid friends,” he could hear her muttering.

James smirked. He wasn’t quite sure what he had done this time, but he was sure he would find out about it soon enough. For now, he figured it was better to stay hidden.

He watched Lily sit down in the snow with her back up against the tree and open a book. She had stopped muttering by now and seemed completely absorbed in her book. Every now and then, she would shiver and pull her cloak tighter.

James continued to sit in the tree looking down at Lily. It was then that he wondered why he was there. He had simply heard that Lily would be there later and had gone off to see her. He did not know what he wanted to do, but he would have to think of something. After all, he could not just sit there until she was finished studying. It was common knowledge around the Gryffindor tower that Lily Evans could study for hours. Nor could he go back to the castle. He could not get down out of the tree without Lily seeing him. He was trapped.

He stood up on the branch and steadied himself by holding on to the trunk of the tree. This caused snow to fall from the tree and onto the book Lily was reading.

She looked up, but of course did not see anything because James had wisely donned his invisibility cloak. He pressed himself up against the tree to make sure she could not see up the cloak.

Lily shrugged and turned back to her book, lightly brushing the snow off of it.

James let out a sigh of relief and turned back to the task at hand. He had to get out of there without Lily seeing him.

He stepped from the branch he was currently on to one next to it. From there, he hoisted himself up to a higher one. There, he paused, straddling the branch to make sure Lily had not heard him. She had not, so he continued.

James stood up on the branch and stepped onto the next one. His foot slipped out from under him causing a good deal of snow to fall from the tree.

Lily’s head snapped up. She slowly got to her feet and pulled her wand out. She began to circle the tree cautiously.

James quickly pressed himself against the tree again.

Again not seeing anything, Lily shrugged and went back to where she had been sitting.

Letting out a breath he had not noticed he had been holding in, James continued around to the back of the tree. Knowing he would not be able to climb down with his invisibility cloak still on, he removed it and stuffed it into his pocket.

Holding on to the branch where he was currently perched, he let himself drop to the ground. He then checked once again to make sure Lily had not heard him. He poked his head around the tree and saw that Lily was still reading peacefully.

James turned back around only to find himself mere inches away from a long white beard. It took all his self-control not to cry out in surprise.

“Mr. Potter,” Dumbledore said with a smile. “Out for a walk?”

“Erm, yes,” James said meekly.

“Ah, Miss Evans,” Dumbledore greeted, looking over James’s shoulder.

James shut his eyes. He knew that Lily was right behind him and that it was only a matter of time before she put everything together and figured out that he had been watching her from the tree. She did not have top grades for nothing.

Smiling brightly, he turned around to face a very confused Lily Evans.

“Evans,” he greeted.

“Potter,” she said curtly. “Professor Dumbledore.”

“What brings you two young Gryffindors out here on such a cold winter day?” Dumbledore asked.

“I was studying under that tree,” Lily explained gesturing to the tree and her book.

“I was out for a walk,” James said. “I have to keep in shape for Quidditch.”

He smirked at Lily who rolled her eyes. He knew she thought he was arrogant, but he did not exactly help himself by acting like a prat every time she was around. He couldn’t help it. That was just how he was.

“Well, I’d hate to see our top student and star Quidditch player fall behind in their respective areas of achievement because I kept them from improving.”

There was a twinkle in the headmaster’s eye that made James a bit uneasy.

Once Dumbledore was out of sight, James turned back to Lily.

“Well,” he said. “I guess I’ll be going. I promised Remus I’d meet him in the library.”

“Oh no you don’t.” Lily grabbed his arm to prevent him from going anywhere.

“Why are you really out here?” she asked. “Don’t give me any of that ‘out for a walk’ nonsense,” she said as he opened his mouth to repeat the lie he had just given Dumbledore.

“I know perfectly well that you weren’t training for Quidditch,” she continued. “I would have seen you if you had been.”

“Lily, dear,” he tried. Her eyes flashed dangerously. “Would I lie to you?”

“Yes,” she muttered.

“Erm, do you think you could let go of my arm?” James asked timidly. “I can’t feel my hand.”

“Oh,” Lily whispered, releasing his arm. “Sorry.”

“That’s quite alright,” he replied, flashing her an award-winning grin.

She rolled her eyes and returned to her place under the tree. She opened her book and began to read once again.

“What are you studying, Evans?” James asked.

“Transfiguration,” she said simply.

“Why?”

“Look, Potter,” she snapped. “It’s been great chatting with you, but if you don’t mind, I’d really like to get back to studying.”

“I like Transfiguration,” James continued, completely ignoring her outburst.

Lily let out a strangled cry of frustration.

“I believe we’ve had this conversation once before,” James said. “In first year. Back when we were friends.”

“We were only friends for thirty minutes,” Lily pointed out. “Then you pushed me in the lake.”

James chuckled at the memory.

“Oh yeah,” he said. “That was funny.”

“Almost as funny as what you and your stupid friends did today?” she asked.

“That depends,” James said. “What did we do today?”

Her brilliant green eyes flashed again and James unconsciously took a step backwards.

“You put hiccoughing powder in my pumpkin juice at breakfast,” she growled. “I couldn’t stop hiccoughing for over two hours. Do you know how uncomfortable that is?”

“I can imagine,” he said with a grin.

“I can’t believe you,” she muttered.

“What makes you think I was behind that prank?” he asked.

“Because you’re the only one who would do something like that to me.”

James did not want to admit that she had a point, but he honestly had not done that, although he had a very good idea of who had.

“I swear it wasn’t me,” he said.

“Yeah right.”

“No, really. I had nothing to do with it. I won’t deny that it was my friends, but I can swear on my grandfather’s grave that I was not involved in any way, shape, or form.”

Lily eyed him suspiciously. James shifted slightly. Why was he so desperate to make her believe him?

“Why should I believe you?” she asked. “You’ve never given me reason to.”

As if on cue, Sirius came running across the grounds.

“James!” he shouted. “You’ll never guess what I did to Evans this morning.”

He stopped short when he saw who James was talking to.

“Uh oh,” he muttered, trying to turn away before Lily had time to punish him.

He was not quite fast enough.

“Sirius Black!” she shouted. “It was you who put the powder in my juice?”

Sirius fumbled for words.

“No,” he finally said. “I’m quite sure I don’t know what you’re talking about, Evans.”

“I’m sure you do,” she growled dangerously. “You put hiccoughing powder in my juice at breakfast.”

“Did it work?”

James flinched as Lily let out a strangled cry and began to chase after his friend, screaming every single curse and hex she had managed to learn.

James felt sorry for Sirius, he really did, but he knew what it was like to be on the receiving end of those curses. He knew that it was exactly what his friend needed at the moment. It would definitely teach him a lesson.

“James!” Sirius shouted.

“Potter can’t help you now, Black,” Lily cried, charming his shoelaces to tie themselves together. Sirius promptly tripped and fell on his face.

“No, Evans,” he whimpered. “Please don’t hurt me. I’ll be good. Honestly, I will. I swear I won’t ever direct another prank towards you.”

“Too late, Black,” she growled. “You should have thought about that in first year. You’ve pulled one practical joke too many and I think it’s time you paid for it.”

Sirius looked like he was going to fall down to his knees and beg for mercy. James figured he should intervene before his friend was either was murdered or made a fool out of himself.

“So, Black,” Lily was saying. “How many pieces do you want to be in when I send you to the hospital wing?”

“One?” Sirius tried.

“I could,” Lily mused. “But what would I do with the other pieces?”

Before James could make a move, someone disarmed Lily. It was not Sirius or James.

Looking around, James saw Remus standing nearby with Lily’s wand in his hand.

“I couldn’t let you hurt him, Lily,” he said with a small smile.

“I’m muggle-born,” she muttered. “I don’t need magic.”

James caught her as she attempted to lunge at Sirius who had curled up in a ball in the snow to protect himself.

“Whoa, Evans!” James laughed. “Calm down. You’re very energetic today.”

She muttered something incoherent.

“What would killing Sirius solve?” he asked.

“Everything,” she murmured, piercing Sirius with her gaze.

“Now, now,” Remus tutted. “What have we told you about that temper?”

Lily sighed, calming slightly.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I don’t know what came over me.”

James let go of her.

“Apologize to Sirius,” he instructed.

She rolled her eyes and turned to where Sirius was standing, having just untied his shoes and gotten to his feet.

“I’m sorry, Black.”

“I’m sorry, too, Evans.”

“Now hug,” Remus tried.

Lily shot him a disgusted look, but Sirius quickly scooped her up into a hug.

“Put me down!” she screamed.

When Sirius set her back down on her feet, Lily promptly lunged at him once again. This time, however, she was not intercepted and succeeded in knocking him to the ground. Straddling him, she raised a hand to hit him in the face.

Fortunately, James was quick. He managed to pull a struggling Lily off of his best friend.

“Let go of me, Potter,” she cried, thrashing about in an attempt to escape his hold. “I know what I’m doing.”

“Lily!” Remus cried over her shouts and curses.

Breathing hard, she calmed once again only to find herself seated in none other than James Potter’s lap.

“Merlin, Evans,” he laughed. “You curse like a sailor.”

She blushed faintly.

“Will you please let me go?” she asked sweetly.

“Oh no,” he replied. “I’m not making that mistake again. You’re not going anywhere.”

“But I can’t move.”

“Exactly.”

Lily pouted for quite some time.

“So,” Remus began. “Am I correct in assuming that she found out about the hiccoughing powder?”

Sirius nodded.

“I told you it was a bad idea,” Remus continued matter-of-factly.

“Well if I had know she was going to react like that,” Sirius whined. “I would have put it in Snape’s drink like usual.”

“Is that why she’s so mad?”

“Yes,” James replied.

“She just _snapped_ ,” Sirius cried. “I’ve never been so afraid for my life.”

The current situation was quite comical. Lily, James, and Sirius were all seated in the snow. Lily was in James’s lap pouting and glaring at Sirius. Sirius was sitting a good distance off, staring wide-eyed at Lily as if afraid she might attack him again at any moment. James was struggling to keep a straight face while holding on tightly to Lily. Remus was standing above the other three, watching in case something else happens.

“Sirius,” Remus said, breaking the silence. “I think we should go back to the castle so James can let Lily go.”

Sirius nodded and scrambled to his feet, not taking his eyes off of Lily. The two of them said goodbye and left.

James did not let go of Lily’s waist until he was sure his friends were safe inside the castle. When he did, she quickly hopped off of him.

“What’s with you, Evans?” he asked. “We’ve pranked you Merlin knows how many times and you choose now to go psycho on us? You could have killed Sirius.”

“That was my intention,” she muttered.

He laughed.

“I’ll never understand you,” he said. “But I’d like to. I think I’ll study you for a while and write a book called _The Inner Workings of Lily Evans._ It will be a best seller.”

Lily snorted.

“Yeah right,” she said. “Like I’d let you anywhere near me long enough for you to get to know me that well. And besides, you couldn’t write a book. You refuse to do your Potions essays.”

“You’re right,” he sighed. “I couldn’t do it, but it was a good idea. Maybe I’ll just research for my own pleasure.”

“Maybe not.”

“So, Evans,” he said, pretending to be interviewing her. “Why do you get angry so easily? Sirius was only having some fun, and no one got hurt.”

“He just pulled one too many pranks,” she said simply.

“I see,” he continued. “And when did you start to express your anger in such a violent way?”

“I used to beat my sister up all the time,” she told him. “We never got along.”

“You have a sister?”

“Yes,” Lily sighed. “Unfortunately. She’s a Muggle and she hates me for being a witch.”

“That doesn’t seem fair.” James frowned. “How can she hate you just for being who you are?”

“I think its jealousy,” she said. “Either that or she actually hates my guts. How would you feel if you had a sister who you thought was just like you, but one day you found out that she belongs in a world you didn’t even know existed. Wouldn’t you be a little confused and jealous?”

“I suppose,” James muttered. “But it doesn’t give her an excuse to be mean to you.”

“And what gives you an excuse to do just that?”

James paused.

“Well,” he began. “Your sister is mean just to make you feel bad about yourself. I’m not actually mean. I just tend to pull pranks at your expense. They aren’t mean. You just don’t think they’re as funny as everyone else does.”

Lily snorted.

“They’re definitely mean,” she said. “I don’t think they’re funny at all.”

“So what if I swore to you that I would never pull another prank on you again?” James rushed.

She eyed him suspiciously.

“You wouldn’t do that,” she said slowly. “It’s against your religion.”

He grinned.

“It’s not.” He extended his hand to her. “I swear I’ll leave you alone if you promise to try to get away from your books.”

Lily eyed his hand warily.

“You’re not lying?” she asked. “You’ll keep your promise.”

“I swear. Deal?”

“Deal.”

They shook hands and finalized the deal.

“Now about your part of the bargain,” James began. “You have to do something unexpected. Join the Quidditch team or kiss a Slytherin. No, never mind. That last one is too disgusting. Even you don’t deserve that kind of torture.”

He paused to think.

“Um, get drunk or talk back to a teacher. Dance in the middle of the Great Hall. _Don’t do your homework for once_.”

Lily scoffed.

“I don’t want to do any of those things,” she said.

“You have to do _something_ ,” James reminded her. “Because otherwise, our deal is null and void.”

“Oh, all right,” she sighed. “I’ll fall asleep in History of Magic or something.”

“Uh oh,” James laughed sarcastically. “That’s dangerous, Evans. You sure you want to risk it?”

“Shove it.” She hit him on the arm.

Suddenly, Lily became very cold. She was so cold she began to shiver. Looking down, she noticed that her sweater was beginning to unravel seemingly all by itself.

“Potter!” she yelped, trying to stop the unraveling. “What are you doing? You swore you would stop these stupid pranks!”

“It’s not me,” he cried, raising his hands in innocence. “When I make a promise, I keep it. However, I cannot be responsible for the actions of Sirius Black.”

Lily growled and glared up at Sirius, who was sitting in a window, aiming his wand at her and waving cheekily.

Sensing danger, James quickly got up and made his way back to the Gryffindor Tower before it was too late. 


End file.
